About

CHIP - The World's First Nine Dollar Computer

$2,071,927

pledged of $50,000 goal

39,560

backers

C.H.I.P. is a computer. It’s tiny and easy to use.

C.H.I.P. does computer things. Work in LibreOffice and save your documents to C.H.I.P.’s onboard storage. Surf the web and check your email over wifi. Play games with a bluetooth controller. With dozens of applications and tools preinstalled, C.H.I.P. is ready to do computer things the moment you power it on.

C.H.I.P. is a computer for students, teachers, grandparents, children, artists, makers, hackers, and inventors. Everyone really. C.H.I.P. is a great way to add a computer to your life and the perfect way to power your computer based projects.

C.H.I.P. has built in WiFi + Bluetooth. Connect to the internet and attach a keyboard and mouse WIRELESSLY!

C.H.I.P. is designed to work with any screen. Old or new. Big or small.

Connect via C.H.I.P.’s built-in composite output or add a simple adapter for either VGA or HDMI.

Use C.H.I.P. with LibreOffice to edit spreadsheets, create word documents, or craft presentations. It's all there.

Use the Chromium browser to surf the web. Check out websites, send emails, watch videos, and more. The internet awaits.

C.H.I.P. comes pre-loaded with Scratch - an easy to learn language that teaches the basics of programing by making stories, games, and animations.

Connect bluetooth controllers to C.H.I.P. and play thousands of games both retro and new. Been missing that amazing DOS game from your childhood? C.H.I.P. plays it!

Connect a MIDI keyboard to C.H.I.P. and jam. Use it as a portable music player or as part of your favorite setup. Attach powered speakers and hear your tunes at full volume. Rock on!

C.H.I.P.'s open source operating system is easy to use and navigate. Its graphical display is just like what you're used to!

C.H.I.P. comes preinstalled with dozens of useful applications, tools and amazing games. Beyond those, C.H.I.P. can run THOUSANDS of free applications from the open source community.

At 1Ghz and with 512MB of DDR3 RAM, C.H.I.P. is powerful enough to run real software, and handle the demands of a full GUI just as well as it handles attached hardware. Best of all, CHIP runs mainline Linux, which means it’s easier than ever to keep teaching it new tricks without inheriting a pile of kernel patches.

Speaking of power, C.H.I.P. includes a fully integrated battery power circuit so that you can take your project outside right away. No external power circuit needed, just attach a 3.7v LiPo battery to C.H.I.P. and you’re ready to go mobile.

Most important, though, is that C.H.I.P. is built to be flexible. Whether you’re building yourself a wall clock that counts down time to the next bus at your stop, or setting up a network of hundreds of solar-powered air quality sensors for use in disaster relief, you need the same basic tools to start from: a processor, a way to exchange data, and a way to power everything. With C.H.I.P., all the groundwork is laid, and the only question is what you’ll do next.

We built C.H.I.P. to make tiny powerful computers more accessible and easier to use. A huge part of making C.H.I.P. accessible is making sure that it can change to meet the needs of the community. That's why both C.H.I.P. and PocketC.H.I.P. are both TOTALLY OPEN SOURCE. This means all hardware design files schematic, PCB layout and bill of materials are free for you the community to download, modify and use.

Can’t wait to get started developing on C.H.I.P.? Join our team! By backing at the Kernel Hacker level, you’ll get one of the first 1000 pre-release "Alpha" C.H.I.P. prototypes, hot off the reflow line *THIS SEPTEMBER* PLUS you’ll be first in line for five C.H.I.P.s and one PocketC.H.I.P. as soon as they are ready. This is a special backer level meant only for hardcore linux devs who want to make meaningful contributions toward helping us build C.H.I.P.’s kernel software. If that sounds like the kind of challenge you’d like to sink your teeth into, back at the Kernel Hacker level, and join us on the march towards open source glory! ╭( ･ㅂ･)و

We've worked very closely with the amazing team at Allwinner Technology to insure that all the necessary documentation and source code for the System on Chip and Power Management Chips used in C.H.I.P. will be available for the community to use and learn from.

At Next Thing Co. we love to make things. The only thing we love more than making, is sharing what we make. We're so excited to see what you'll do with a $9 computer.

It takes more than the whole Next Thing Co. team to make C.H.I.P. possible. These are a few of the many amazing folks who have helped along the way: The entire Allwinner team (Ben, Wang Kang, Yinwei, Jet), Our endlessly supportive investors and mentors (Brownell, Cyril, Sean, Ryan, Brad and the FGAngels crew), all of our OTTO Kickstarter backers, the whole HAXLR8R squad - Duncan, Ben, Peter, Qiyu, Atomman and Sally, the wonderful folks at Bay Area Circuits, FATHOM, Kilovolt Coffee, and our families, who have supported us through long nights and endless trips to China.

Thanks!

Risks and challenges

The risks inherent in volume manufacturing are real, and we’ve taken every precaution to prepare for and actively address them. With the support of our manufacturing and distribution partners we are well equipped for the challenges ahead. We promise to keep our backers updated and informed about any issues that may arise ¡VIVA C.H.I.P!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $150 or more
About $150

KERNEL HACKERS ONLY:
1x C.H.I.P. pre-release “alpha” model,
Get the earliest access and help us develop C.H.I.P.’s software!
~plus~
5x C.H.I.P.
1x PocketC.H.I.P.
and get your C.H.I.P.s and PocketC.H.I.P. from the earliest shipments of release models as soon as they are available.